Native Iowan and creator and former CEO of Bug Soother, Iowa’s “Scent of Summer” natural bug spray, is now at the helm of a new and entirely different endeavor, continuing her entrepreneurial spirit in the nonprofit sector by turning a 30-year-old dream to foster recovery for women in Iowa into a rural reality on 53 acres in Southeast Iowa.

Freda, who has four decades of recovery herself, opened a recovery community for women – Cedar River Haven – in the Summer of 2022. The CRH mission is to provide a hand up, an open heart, and a haven of peace for women who suffer from Substance Use Disorder (SUD).

Women are disproportionately affected by SUD in our country, and sadly, there remains a lack of resources and avenues to address this problem, especially in rural communities. Endemic across the Hawkeye State, SUD strikes at the heart of every class and creed of woman, family system, and community at large in Iowa. Substance Use Disorder happens to mothers, friends, coworkers, aunts, homemakers, daughters, wives, and professionals alike. It does not discriminate, and the impact on the communities we call home in Southeast Iowa is devastating.

Cedar River Haven, a peer-led social recovery model, aims to correct that dissonance. Through 12-step immersion and a targeted recovery curriculum, CRH displays for women a path to recovery and sobriety and a way to rejoin and contribute to their communities and families. Unique in its model, it is neither treatment nor sober living – but a innovative hybrid – at the heart of which is a safe way to pursue sobriety alongside employment opportunities and education in a living environment that fosters community, support, and love.

Our 24-bed facility serves women across the state of Iowa and, as a nonprofit organization, relies on the surrounding communities to embrace and support both its mission and the women who are at CRH pursuing recovery – your mothers, your friends, your coworkers, your family.

Please think about making a donation of your choice – We highlighted some areas of need that exist universally for our residents as they continue to pursue recovery and sobriety into 2025 and beyond.

If you would like to donate by check, please send your contribution to 2798 Casey Ave., Letts, IA 52754.

Or, donate on Facebook.

If you would like to attend our open house on Giving Tuesday 2024 – an afternoon tea – feel free to RSVP to: info@cedarriverhaven.org